Vietnam U23s have been granted cash rewards totaling VND4.2 billion (US$184,000) after winning the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) U23 Championship for the first time ever.

Vietnam beat Thailand 1-0 in the finale in Cambodia to win their first-ever AFF U23 Championship trophy on Saturday evening.

Following the triumph, the Vietnam Football Federation rewarded the team with VND1.5 billion ($65,700).

Hung Thinh Corporation, the main sponsor of Vietnamese football, also announced a gift worth VND1 billion ($43,800) for coach Dinh The Nam and his protégés.

In addition, the Vietnam Young Talent Fund granted the U23 team VND200 million ($8,800) for their achievement.

The boys previously received VND1.5 billion worth of rewards after winning the ticket to the final.

The rewards for the junior players have so far added up to VND4.2 billion, and the number is expected to continue rising in the coming days after they return to Vietnam.

The AFF U23 Championship is an international football competition contested by the national under-23 teams of the member nations of the AFF, with the inaugural edition being held in 2005.

It had been interrupted since 2011 before reviving in 2019 as a preparatory tournament for the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Ten teams had originally registered for this year’s edition before Indonesia and Myanmar backed out because of myriad COVID-19 infections on their squads.

Vietnam had a challenging tournament as many of the players contracted COVID-19, with several backup players having to travel to Cambodia by bus in the middle of the tourney.

In the semifinal against Timor-Leste, Vietnam had a total of only 13 players to compete, and a goalkeeper had to be subbed on to play in midfield.

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